Devil's Elbow State Park Beach and Heceta Head

Devil's Elbow and Heceta Head State Park is quite the place. It is a picturesque location. There are tall rocks that jut out of the sand and ocean. It helps one see how it got the name Devil's Elbow.  There is a stream that feeds into the ocean on the beach. The mossy rocks are beautiful.

At the south end of the beach there are some more rock formations jutting out of the ground, and a crag in the side of the rock that I liked. The sand was quite light and the whole area made for some nice photos. It was all really nice to see in person as well!
Enjoy the photos and wish you were at the beach!

Mossy Rock Reflection at Devil's Elbow Beach

12 photo panorama - Devil's Elbow Beach

Trees through Beach Rocks at Devil's Elbow Beach

4 photo panorama - Craggy Rock Face at Devil's Elbow Beach

Craggy Rock Face at Devil's Elbow Beach

Trees through Beach Rocks at Devil's Elbow Beach

Sand Waves on Devil's Elbow Beach

Rock and Sand on Devil's Elbow Beach

3 photo panorama - Mossy Rocks and Stream at Devil's Elbow Beach

18 photo panorama - Devil's Elbow Beach

Craggy Rock Face at Devil's Elbow Beach

Virginia Cascade, Norris, Sheepeater Cliff, and more of Yellowstone

Heading west and north through Yellowstone National Park from the Lower and Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River there are many beautiful things to see. When we passed through we were not able to  spend as much time as we would have liked but I'll share some of what we saw. Some of the things we saw are Virginia Cascade, Porcelain Basin at Norris Geyser Basin, Sheepeater Cliff and lovely scenery.

We first stopped by Virginia Cascade.

Virginia Cascade

To get to Virginia Cascasde you have to take a little oneway road. Campers and buses are not allowed on the road. Virginia Cascade is beautiful. One problem is getting a good photo of it. There are many trees in the way and there are not any parking places. The photo here is a panorama I took from a ways away. To get a good shot of the falls would require being high in the air in the middle of the canyon.

6 photo panorama - Virginia Cascade, Yellowstone National Park

Norris Geyser Basin

Porcelain Basin

We went to North Geyser Basin and only visited Porcelain Basin. We had a long way to travel and we had both gotten a bit of sun. There is a nice array of  color here. You do see a lot of white but there is cloudy glass-like-blue, green, orange, brown, grey and blue.

Scummy Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Green Cyanidium algae and orange cyanobacteria in the acidic waters of Porcelain Basin, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Green Cyanidium algae and orange cyanobacteria in the acidic waters of Porcelain Basin, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Colloidal Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Swiss Cheese Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Porcelain Springs and a small steaming geyser-like hole, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Congress Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.
This shows what some people think of Congress. No grander or action, rather it is a hole that sinks and does nothing.

Valley near Beaver Lake

The valley upstream from Beaver Lake is such a beautiful spot. The spot these photos are taken at is literally on the side of the road. I have a photo of this area during autumn which you can also see on my blog HERE. Now you can see the same location during the summer. Enjoy.

You will notice that many trees are bare and black. A fire is to blame but it also adds to the beauty of the landscape.

12 photo panorama - Valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

56 photo panorama - Valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

8 photo panorama - Valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Creek in valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Grass, stream, and trees in valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Sheepeater Cliff

Gardner River

Sheepeater Cliff has a geological feature I love to see. Columnar Basalt. Columnar Basalt is a distinct feature. Some areas with this columnar feature are quite famous. Some of these are... the's Giant's Causeway in Ireland, at the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Hexagon pool in the Golan Heights, throughout Iceland, Prismas Basálticos in Mexico, Devil's Postpile in California, Organ Pipes National Park in Austrailia, Akun Island in Alaska, and in many other places in the world. 

I will stop continuing the rant of places I want to see with columnar basalt features and get on with the photos.

Gardner River and Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Gardner River and Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Fly Fisherman in the Gardner River at Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Gardner River and Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

8 photo panorama - Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Stone at the base of Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Road south of Mammoth

South of Mammoth there is a waterfall on Glen Creek in Kingman Pass. The waterfall is nice but the whole pass is beautiful. Because of the lighting I did not take a photo of the falls but I did take a few of the pass.

Kingman Pass and Glen Creek, Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park

Kingman Pass and Glen Creek, Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park

Kingman Pass and Glen Creek, Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park

Negro Bill Canyon

Negro Bill Canyon is a little less well known canyon in the Moab area. It is a fun canyon to hike and it has the fourth largest natural arch in the world, Morning Glory Arch. I have photos of Morning Glory Arch but I will put them up later. The mouth of the canyon opens up into the Colorado River.

Negro Bill Canyon has sandstone cliffs on each side as you hike up. It is a four mile round trip to the arch but it is worth it. We went in the Spring and the new leaves contrasted nicely with the sand and stone. We even got to see young trout in the stream. It was a lovely hike.

Trail in Negro Bill Canyon

Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

14 photo panorama - Canyon walls in Negro Bill Canyon

Negro Bill Canyon

Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Cliffs in Negro Bill Canyon

Stream with a fast shutter speed

The photo above and the one below are  of the same group of rocks in the stream. I have both of them here to show what a difference shutter speed can have. You should notice the difference in the water. The image above has the water almost held in motion. The image below shows the water more smoothly as it flows down the stream.

Stream with a slow shutter speed 

Stream with a slow shutter speed 

Stream with a slow shutter speed 

Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Stream and small waterfall with a slow shutter speed 

6 photo panorama - Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Negro Bill Canyon

5 photo panorama - Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Stream and small waterfall with a slow shutter speed 

Stream and small waterfall with a slow shutter speed 

3 photo panorama - Stream and small waterfall with a slow shutter speed 

3 photo panorama (crop) - Stream and small waterfall with a slow shutter speed 

Cacti hanging off of rock near stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Cacti hanging off of rock near stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Canyon wall and tree in Negro Bill Canyon

Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Stepping stones across stream

GIF of 1st stream crossing in Negro Bill Canyon

GIF of 2nd stream crossing in Negro Bill Canyon

Stream in Negro Bill Canyon

Leaping from stone to stone over creek.